Key facts
- Morocco has renewed its demands for Spain to return the territories of Ceuta and Melilla.
- The demands follow a wave of refugee attempts to reach the Spanish enclaves.
- At least 141 people died during these crossings.
- Morocco proposed talks with Spain regarding the future status of Ceuta and Melilla.
- Spain has rejected Morocco's proposal for talks.
- The article argues Morocco's claim is not a decolonisation demand, given its geopolitical alliances.
Morocco has recently renewed its claims to the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla, known in Arabic as Sabtah and Maliliah. This resurgence of demands follows a wave of tens of thousands of Moroccan and other African economic refugees attempting to reach these Spanish enclaves, a situation that resulted in at least 141 deaths. The article argues that Morocco's revived claim is not a straightforward demand for decolonisation, particularly given its strengthened alliance with the US and Israel, which are described as hostile to Spain's current government.
Historically, Portugal conquered Sabtah in 1415, and it remained with Spain after the Iberian Union broke up in 1640, being formally ceded in the 1668 Treaty of Lisbon. Spain conquered Maliliah in 1497. Both cities have remained under Spanish rule despite repeated Moroccan attempts to recapture them from the 18th to the 20th century. Spain's colonial ambitions in Morocco were reignited after its defeat in the Spanish-American War of 1898. Through treaties in 1900 and 1912, French and Spanish zones of influence in Morocco were demarcated, with Spain establishing a protectorate over a northern strip including Ceuta and Melilla.
The region saw significant resistance, notably the Rif War led by Muhammad 'Abd al-Karim al-Khattabi. In 1921, 'Abd al-Karim's forces inflicted heavy casualties on Spanish troops, leading to the proclamation of the Republic of the Rif. The republic eventually fell in 1926 after a coordinated invasion by French and Spanish forces, which employed poison gas against civilians and fighters. 'Abd al-Karim surrendered and was exiled.
In response to the recent refugee crisis, Italy's government introduced targeted border checks for non-EU nationals arriving from Spain, which Spain reciprocated. Amidst this, Morocco proposed talks with Spain on the future status of Ceuta and Melilla, a proposal that Spain outright rejected.